He is the first Chinese recipient to receive the award--a bronze medal and $100,000.

Wang, 48, launched his architecture firm, Amateur Architecture Studio, with his wife in 1998 in Hangzhou. He has a master's in architecture from the Nanjing Institute of Technology, and has been the head of the department of architecture at the China Academy of Art since 2000.

His most recognizable works include the Ningbo History Museum (2008), Ceramic House in Jinhua (2006), the Xiangshan Campus at the China Academy of Art (2004, 2007), and the Vertical Courtyard Apartments in Hangzhou (2007).

The Pritzker Prize, which is sponsored by The Hyatt Foundation, was founded in 1979 to honor living architects with talent and vision. The award ceremony this year will take place in Beijing on May 25.